If you are serious about your art and craft, you look around you for inspiration and guidance, from those that have come before you and are alongside you right now.

I’m sure local coordinators take a cue from the works of Preston Bailey - the world’s eminent event stylist.

The wedding photographers look at Buissink, Escudero and Lara.

In much the same way, in order to grow as a videographer I let other’s work inspire me as I do my own work.

Iris Cinema (New York)
Spencer Lum’s Iris Cinema, though under the radar and inactive in the online forums is a company I admire the most. I know of no other company who has such a solid grasp of the philosophy of shooting a wedding. A philosophy I share. I’m a big fan of their camera and color work.

Elysium Production (SoCal)
Though not so much a problem locally, the notion that wedding videography is second rate to photography is still very much prevalent in Northern America. It is through Julie and Alex Hill’s awesome videos, blogging and networking with the top photographers in their country that they shed that notion slowly but surely. They most recently covered the wedding of renowned photographer Gary Fong.

Chris Watson (Dallas)
Perhaps the single most helpful wedding videographer on the planet. He will go out of his way to explain a point and help somebody out. His style, which continually evolves, is now in a direction I find myself gravitating towards.

Glen Elliot (New Jersey)
Glen influenced me to exercise and pick up that glide cam. It took him to make me slow down and make me realize that a good video isn’t always about cutting a mile a minute.

Joel Peregrine (Milwaukee)
The one true master who will show you that it only takes one person to make a great wedding video. This person has shown me that trends come and go but it is your unique style and voice that will be remembered. The grand daddy of the super secret video forum - videorogues.

DVideography (Philadelphia)
Dave Williams will show you that you can be creative AND profitable at the same time. At the end of it all, we are working to make a profit, and Dave knows profit (as well as marketing, customer service and smooth moves).

Cloud Nine Creative (Vancouver)
When I want sophisticated and classy, I look at Bruce Patterson’s work. Not only do they run one of the top tier wedding videography companies in Canada, but they publish their own magazine as well - Wedluxe.

Bliss Productions (San Francisco)
The most expensive wedding videographer I know. Technically not a “videographer” but a cinematographer though because she uses Super8 and 16mm to shoot her weddings. She opened the eyes of a lot of event videographers, including mine, to the viability and profitability of shooting weddings in analog.

Walter Cheliah (Edmonton, Canada)
You want music video style? Walt will give that to you in large, eye popping doses. But more than the quality of work he does. Cheliah is responsible for banding together the best of the industry’s creative minds, first with videofraternity then with Wedfact - singlehandedly.

And as a small thank you to these people who have, in one way or another, shaped, helped and influenced me in how I do my work, I’m casting my vote for them in this year’s 25 Most Influential Event Videographers in the World.*

*you must be a videographer to vote